Book Notes

Sunday

Sep 29, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Smithsonian goes e PLUS D.C. book festival may have to move

FESTIVAL MAY MOVE

Last weekend's National Book Festival, which attracted an estimated 200,000 visitors and more than 100 literary luminaries from around the world, may be the last one held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The move — if there is one — apparently relates to the Mall's new irrigation system, which could be damaged by the giant spikes used to hold up the festival tents. The National Park Service, which manages the Mall, could not be reached for comment. Jennifer Gavin, project manager of the Library of Congress National Book Festival, said that the library had "become aware that the Park Service has plans to make changes on the Mall. What they are proposing would probably change the festival as it is currently presented." But the weekend also brought good news for the festival. Financier David Rubenstein donated $5 million to the festival. Rubenstein previously contributed $5 million to the festival in 2010 and gave $300,000 more the following year so that it could expand from a one-day event to a two-day event.

SMITHSONIAN E-BOOK

The Smithsonian Institution has released a free 77-page e-book concerning one of the institution's top priorities: digitizing 14 million objects in its massive collections. In "Best of Both Worlds: Museums, Libraries, and Archives in a Digital Age," G. Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian, writes that digitization, or the process of translating images and data into digital formats, is necessary for the Smithsonian to maintain its national and international footprint. In the book, Clough notes the challenges that museums and libraries face, from the high cost of digitizing collections to the speed at which technology changes. On average, museums have been slow to adapt to digital technologies, since they have not always had technology experts on staff or enough employees to build archives. The Smithsonian has recruited 800 volunteers to research and write descriptions for its digital archives.